


Hold Infinity in the Palm of Your Hands

by KuraNova



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: AU, Angst, Chill XV, Fluff, Happy Ending, Humor, Idiots in Love, Later Smut, M/M, Older!Prompto, Ten Years Later, older!noctis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-12-23 23:51:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12000525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuraNova/pseuds/KuraNova
Summary: “I’ve really missed you, Prom,” Noctis admitted in a quiet rumble. “I don’t think I’ve stopped wanting you back since I let you go.”Prompto’s blush reached the very tips of his ears. “Yeah?”“Yeah. It’s probably stupid of me to say, after all this time, isn’t it?”“I don’t think it’s stupid at all,” Prompto murmured, “cause I haven’t stopped loving you, either.”





	1. In what distant deeps or skies burnt the fire of thine eyes?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends! Hope you're all having a great week! I want to thank you all for stopping by to read this fic, which has been residing inside my head for a while now. It's a little different from the content I usually write, so I hope you enjoy it. :) Thank you all in advance for the kudos/comments. I really do appreciate them all.

Noctis wasn’t usually the kind of guy to go to parties. He disliked the noise, being around so many people, and the social pressure that came with being one of the popular kids through his family name alone. People always thought he lived some kind of magic, fairy tale life because of the silver spoon he’d been born with, but the truth was, he had to work just as hard as anyone else to get to where he was now, working for his father’s firm at one of their branches. 

He didn’t know why he had come back to Insomnia for his ten year high school reunion. He imagined he’d be asked all the same inane questions he had to field when he was a teenager about his wealth, about his family, about his  _ availability _ . There was really nothing for him anymore in the big, busy city of his youth.

Well, there was one thing.

Foolishly, Noctis still held one of Insomnia’s many wonders close to his heart, even after ten years away with college, work, and family keeping him busy. He had allowed himself to wonder whether he might see him at the reunion - if he would show. He’d always been a more sociable person than Noctis, after all, and he had no shortage of friends. And so Noctis found himself booking a flight to the place of his birth, going to a party he’d rather not attend, all in the hopes of maybe seeing his friend again - maybe rekindling what they’d had before school and life had forced them apart. 

He still remembered Prompto. Would Prompto remember him?

 

* * *

 

“Yeah, Luna, I hear you.  I’m out of town until Monday,” Noctis mumbled into his phone as he shouldered his way into his hotel room after swiping the card key. He tossed his bag unceremoniously on top of the bed, dropping down next to it while he listened to his ex-wife attempt to wrestle their toddler into the bathtub. 

He missed them both, even if things hadn’t worked out between him and Luna. They’d separated legally just a year after his son’s birth, but it was a mutual thing, and he thanked his lucky stars that Luna was about as good a friend as they came. She’d never judged him for being a little … different, and she understood his past and how his father’s expectations had shaped his future. 

“Just remember to enjoy yourself,” she huffed, cut off by Darin’s delighted squeal and the sound of splashing water. “I didn’t spend all that time convincing you to go for you to turn back around and come home.”

“What if he doesn’t remember me?” Noctis asked, worry crawling its way up his throat to try and strangle him.

“You loved each other for four years, Noctis, and only broke up because you had to leave the country for school. I doubt he would forget you.” Luna’s muffled voice drifted back to him from the phone which he had since put on speaker and set next to him on the bed. 

Noctis sighed and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees as he thought about the last time he had seen his best friend. It’d been a shitty day, raining, windy, a storm threatening to roll in from the Lucian Sound that rattled the poorly sealed windows of the cafe he and Prompto were seated inside. It was a place they had frequented during school days, neither one trusting himself to commit to finishing homework with distractions at home.

It was a quiet place, quieter than usual, actually, with the news Noctis had just given Prompto. He was leaving for university. He’d received the acceptance letter the night before for a full ride scholarship to the University of Tenebrae. Prompto had applied to the school too, keen on taking advantage of their visual arts program. Trouble was, Prompto had been rejected. It was a tough conversation when Prompto had urged Noctis to still go, even if he didn’t want him too. Noctis might have actually stayed in Insomnia as well if it wasn’t from the pressure his father was placing on him to become part of his firm - to eventually take over as owner. 

They’d tried to make the distance work, once he’d moved away, but being continents away from someone you loved was a heartrending experience. Eventually Noctis, unable to cope with the stress of keeping up with school and maintaining a relationship as well as beginning his induction into his father’s business, had cut things off. 

Badly.

With a text message.

He hadn’t seen or heard from Prompto since, though sometimes he would type his friend’s name into his search engine and admire the photos of his that had managed to make it online. That was how Luna, perceptive as always, had found out about Prompto. After that, she asked more questions, and even after months of counseling and couple’s therapy wasn’t as cathartic as Noctis finally revealing to his wife that he was absolutely still in love with his high school sweetheart. 

“Da!” Noctis immediately perked up at Darin’s little voice, high pitched and tinny, echoing through the speaker of his phone. 

Of all the odd twists and turns his life had taken over the years, Noctis was most proud of this one. Even on his worst days, there was something about being a father - about having a person who needed and depended on you more than anyone else in the world and loved you despite all of the shitty things haunting your consciousness, that made it all worth it.

“Darin!” Noctis cooed back, sitting up to take his phone in hand and hold it close, as if the proximity of the phone could somehow make up for the distance between them. “Are you being good for mom while I’m gone?”

Darin made a little humming noise, manhandling the phone enough that the speaker popped and muffled Luna’s voice speaking in the background. “Go park?”

Noctis smiled to himself. Last week was the first time Noctis had taken Darin to the park for a play date with one of Luna’s coworkers. His son had an intense and immediate love affair with the swings, which ended in a small tantrum when it had been time to go. Every day since, he’d been asking to go back to the park.

“When I get back home we can go to the park,” Noctis explained.

“Kay. Bye-bye.”

Noctis snorted in amusement as the sound got muffled again, and then Luna was back on the line. 

“Still thinking about building that swing set in the backyard for Christmas?” she laughed.

Noctis joined her. “If it makes him happy.”

There was a pause. “Speaking of, Noctis. You should unwind for a bit. It’s still early there, isn’t it? Go out, have a nice dinner and a drink.”

“I dunno. I’m kind of tired. Was thinking of just getting some sleep, actually.”

“Then let me phrase this differently.” There was a humor to her voice that made Noctis smile while he was resigned to perform the “favor” she would ultimately ask. “There is a restaurant in Insomnia that my boss went to on her last management meeting. She says the rice bowls there are to die for. I would really appreciate you checking it out for me.”

Noctis was already on his feet, checking his pockets for his wallet. “What, you coming to Insomnia soon?”

“I  _ might _ ,” she teased. “And I’d love to know of a good place to eat.”

Noctis slipped out of his room, turning back to make sure the door was locked before wandering down the hotel hallway. “You’re horrible at convincing people, Lu.”

“Then I should be thankful you’re so easily manipulated,” she countered sweetly.

He rolled his eyes at the good-natured jab. “Alright, alright. What’s the name of this place.”

 

* * *

 

Noctis pushed through the door of the place Luna had described, surprised to find a restaurant that wasn’t as high tier has he had initially believed. It seemed like a nice place, warm and cozy with a low-light interior that was a little at odds with the white table cloths stretched over a few free standing tables in the dining room. 

“Good evening, sir. Would you like to have a seat in the dining room or at the bar?” 

Noctis blinked at the friendly hostess, having resigned himself to look like one of those people who sat alone in a booth in a restaurant reading a newspaper or fiddling with their phone. Not that there was anything wrong with that. Noctis just preferred to not be on the receiving end of the looks of sympathy that would probably earn him. 

“Bar,” he decided smoothly. “I didn’t realize you had one.”

The hostess smiled and bobbed her head, motioning for him to follow as she led him to the back of the restaurant.

“It’s one of the best in this part of town,” she explained. “We have a wide variety of drinks to choose from, and some of Leide’s best scotch.”

“Oh? I’m not really into hard alcohol. Don’t think I’ve ever had scotch.”

“Well if you have a mind to try it, I’d give it a go.” 

“Maybe I will.”

She ducked her head, a blush spreading across her cheeks when he smiled kindly at her. “Here we are,” she murmured, the color of her face brightening when he uttered a quiet thank you and left her at the edge of the dining room.

Noctis took a seat close to the end of the long, cherrywood bar, away from the other patrons present as he idly watched the television screen above his head for something to do while he waited for the bar tender to come over and take his order. He wasn’t really even that hungry, but he promised Luna a review on that rice bowl, and a drink seemed like a good way to unwind after his long flight. He’d have to stay up a little later anyway, making up for the time difference between Insomnia and Tenebrae. No way he’d be able to do that in his hotel room with a bed  _ right there _ . 

“Hey there! What can I get for you?”

Noctis refocused his attention immediately, looking away from the television only to be robbed of the breath in his lungs when he saw who, exactly was speaking to him.

“Prompto?” he asked, question coming out with an embarrassing squeaky quality to his voice he hadn’t experienced since he’d hit puberty almost twenty goddamn years ago.

Blonde bangs clipped back out of his face, Prompto’s still bright and inquisitive eyes regarded Noctis with amusement. He hadn’t changed  _ at all _ in the last decade, but for the small beginnings of crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, likely from smiling so much. “Oh, yeah, that’s my name!” He replied brightly, gesturing to the gleaming faux metal name tag pinned to the front of his apron. “Don’t wear it out and all that.”

He chuckled at his own wit, pleased with himself, while Noctis died a little inside. There was no hint of recognition in his old friend’s face. No sign that Noctis was anything more than just another customer on a thursday night shift. 

But there was no malice either. Maybe Prompto just didn’t recognize him. Noctis didn’t usually think he’d changed all that much since he was a kid fresh out of high school, but some things might have made it a little harder to identify him. He’d grown a beard for one. He kept it short and clean, like his father’s, mostly for the way people treated him differently when he had it. With a beard, suddenly he wasn’t a fresh faced associate to his father’s firm. Instead he was the director of the Tenebrae branch, commanding respect and compliance. His hair was a little longer too, and while he thought it looked good, it was mostly due to neglect and a distinct aversion to hair stylists since the last one had shorn him like a damn sheep. 

He was still reeling when Prompto spoke again. “So,” he hesitated, “were you going to order something?”

That snapped Noctis out of his stupor, and he recovered fast enough to slap a fake smile on his face and apologize. “Sorry. I had a long flight. Feeling a little jet-lagged, you know?”

The easy smile returned to Prompto’s face as he nodded in understanding. “We get a lot of travelers in here. I always like listening to their stories since I’ve never even been out of Lucis. Where are you coming from?”

“Tenebrae,” Noctis replied, leaning his elbows onto the bar top.

“I almost went to school there, actually.”

The hollow feeling in Noctis’ gut grew. What should he do? Should he keep up the charade and pretend he was just another stranger, or should he tell Prompto who he was and face whatever uncertainties lay down that path? One course was undeniably safe. There was no risk. He could easily go back to his hotel room, get a redeye to Tenebrae, and return to his life with the knowledge that Prompto had moved on and seemed to be doing well for himself. Or, Noctis thought, he could be brave. He could be brave like he hadn’t been as a teenager wanting to tell his dad that he preferred to stay in Insomnia with his boyfriend - brave enough to keep working on his long distance relationship despite its hardships because possibly losing his best friend was one thing he absolutely would not be able to cope with. 

He had to work himself up to it, though.

Courage never found Noctis easily in these sorts of situations. Personal risk made exposing himself and his thoughts and feelings that much more daunting. So instead of blurting out who he was to Prompto, he decided to take it slow, finding a little reassurance in Prompto’s smile and easy conversation. 

Even with things as they were, Noctis could feel something sliding back into place in his life- like a missing puzzle piece he’d lost a long time ago then discovered beneath the couch years later. The tension inside of him eased somewhat at the sense of “normal” he’s finally found again.

“Did you?” Noctis asked, bravery allowing him to open up their conversation. “What did you major in?”

Prompto moved to stand in front of the small computer mounted to the opposite side of the bar, speaking as he tapped in Noctis’ order. “I actually never ended up going to college,” he admitted. “I thought about it for a bit, mostly because I wanted to impress this guy I was dating. Just ended up being way too expensive for me.”

Just to impress him? Noctis chewed on his bottom lip, a nervous habit Prompto used to rag on him abo-.

“Shouldn’t do that, you know.” Prompto leaned over the bar to place a coaster and a glass of ice water in front of Noctis. “You’ll split your lip and it’ll hurt like a sunnuvabitch.” He paused awkwardly after speaking, color blooming on his cheeks. “S-sorry. That was a whole lot of unsolicited advice, huh? It just kind of came out. Habit, I guess.”

“It’s alright,” Noctis murmured, fighting off the intense wave of deja vu he’d experienced at Prompto’s good natured scolding as he nodded at the water glass. “Thanks.”

Prompto seemed to realize his hand was still on the glass and snatched it away with another apology. 

Sensing the tension, Noctis tried to distract Prompto. “So, if you could have gone to college, what would you have wanted to study?”

Like flipping a switch, Prompto’s entire face lit up at the question, and Noctis could hardly suppress his own smile at his obvious enthusiasm. Prompto hadn’t changed a bit in this either, and Noctis found himself reacting the same as he always had - with a desperate need to keep that smile on Prompto’s face. 

“Photography,” he answered easily. “Well, visual arts with an emphasis on photography. Specifically, animal portraiture.”

“Why animals?” Noctis asked, sharp eyes watching Prompto for every reaction. It’d been so many years, but looking at his friend, his mannerisms and the light in his eyes - it felt like time hadn’t really passed at all.

“I just really like how they shoot. They make for an emotionally moving subject, you know? Like people can sense how that animal is feeling in that moment and they can suddenly  _ relate _ . Animals are so open and honest, you know?”

Noctis smiled, lost in Prompto’s enthusiasm. “Like you?”

They both realized Noctis’ slip up at the same time. Prompto’s cheeks flamed, and Noctis cut his gaze away from the cute, embarrassed expression he was making to stare pointedly at his water glass.

“Uhm, thanks,” Prompto demurred, fidgeting with the folds of his apron. He rocked backward on his heels slightly, seeming on the verge of saying something, but a customer at the other end of the bar caught his attention with a wave and he quietly excused himself from Noct’s company.

Noctis silently kicked himself for getting so caught up in the moment. It’d really felt like old times, when Prompto would gush about his love of photography and Noctis, not understanding a single word his friend had said, would smile and nod, and flirt shamelessly with him whenever there was a decent opening. Even Prompto’s blush was still the same. Of course, a history didn’t give him permission to act so forward. For all intents and purposes, he and Prompto were perfect strangers. It  _ had _ been ten years after all. Felt like half a damn lifetime.

Nervous at the awkwardness of his own blunder, Noctis brought his hands up to prop up his chin, elbows resting on the polished surface of the bar and watched the television overhead. It was either that or watch Prompto, and Noctis felt as though he’d made things strange enough for one night. 

It didn’t help that he was also a horrible flirt.  _ Like you? _ What the hell did that even mean? What exactly had he been trying to say?

Out of habit, fingers found the ring circling his middle finger and began to twist it absentmindedly. He’d had the damn thing for longer than he would have liked, a gift from his father on his sixteenth birthday as a reminder of what he was expected to become as an adult. Often, he’d twist the band of metal around on his finger as an outlet for his anxious forays into his own head. In fact, he did it often enough that there was a little callous there on his skin, something Prompto used to fuss over with all of the expensive skincare products he’d used to be obsessed with buying ‘ _ because I don’t want these freckles to get even darker, Noct’ _ . 

He twisted and twisted, staring unseeing at the screen before a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked before he could command his eyes not to, only to see Prompto caught in mid-step as he stared, wide-eyed, at Noctis’ hand. 

“No way,” Prompto breathed, words coming out in a sort of strangled squeak. “That isn’t-.” His eyes flit up to Noctis’ face, searching before he seemed to find what he was looking for. “ _ Holy shit. _ ”

Noctis  _ knew _ he’d been found out. He wasn’t going to try and play this off. Prompto wasn’t an idiot, after all, and it would have been insulting for him to even try. “Hey,” he said lamely, “been a while.”

Suddenly Prompto’s incredulous expression faded, replaced by a sharp anger Noctis had only seen a handful of times when he’d fucked up. He supposed wandering into Prompto’s place of work after the way they’d separated counted as fucking up, even if Noctis had no idea - even if it’d been  _ ten years _ . He’d still decided to stay. 

“Yeah, no shit,” Prompto huffed, trying to keep his voice down. “That all you’re gonna say to me after being gone so long?”

Noctis blinked owlishly, unsure of what to say. His fingers were frozen on his ring as he tried to decide if Prompto sounded angry. All he could really focus on was the upset twist to Prompto’s lips, the furrow in his brow as he sternly eyed Noctis from behind the counter, and the way his fingers clenched, perched on his hips in a way Noctis had seen Luna do when she was getting ready to scold him for something. 

All at once his courage left him, and all he wanted to do was flee. It was the coward’s way out of this situation, to be sure, but he didn’t think he could stand Prompto looking at him like  _ that _ any longer than he had to. “Sorry. I promise I didn’t know you worked here. I was just- trying not to cause a scene or anything.” That clenching feeling inside of his chest returned. This time it felt like a vice was crushing his lungs together, squeezing his heart painfully between them. 

This was a mistake. This entire trip had been a mistake. He didn’t know why he thought he could just come back, drop back into Prompto’s life after so long and hope everything would be okay. What kind of asshole thought like that anyway? Him, apparently. He was the asshole. He had fucked this all up a long time ago, and he had to just deal with it like every other normal person who’d ever stupidly broken up with the one person they  _ knew _ they were meant to be with - or some sappy bullshit. Noctis couldn’t really think too hard about it. All he wanted to do was go home, lick his wounds, and try to get over prompto when he’d spent the past ten years of his life mourning his absence. 

Because Prompto was more than just someone he’d fallen in love with. Prompto was Noctis’ best friend, and he’d never had a friendship so close with anyone before or since. And, for one stupid, selfish moment, Noctis thought he might be able to have that back. Despite everything that had happened. Despite all the baggage he carried around. It was stupid.

_ He _ was stupid.

“Sorry,” Noctis apologized again and moved to get up from the barstool on shaky legs. “Really, Prom, I didn’t mean-.” He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anymore. “I’ll just go. I don’t want to bother you anymore than I have.”

As Noctis reached into his wallet, fishing out whatever money he could find to throw onto the bar, he missed the gradual shift in Prompto’s expression. If he’d have bothered to look, he would have seen the confusion on his once-friend’s face, the worried quirk to his brow. But Noctis saw none of these things, and rushed out of the bar and the restaurant as quickly as he could without looking like he was running from something.


	2. And what shoulder, and what art, could twist the sinews of thy heart?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis receives an unexpected visitor to his hotel room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the love, friends! <3 I appreciate each and every one of your faces!

Noctis was half asleep in the uncomfortable hotel chair, feet propped up on the bed while his cheek pressed into the hard, wooden backing. When the first sounds of knocking came, he snorted loudly, casting out a hand to search for the remote to turn the television off. The drone of the reporter on the screen ceased abruptly, but just as he’d settled back down to rest the knocking came again.

This time he managed to open his eyes, stinging and fatigued from stress. He brought up a hand to wipe at his face, hoping the angry flush to his cheeks had faded with the minutes to erase any evidence that he  _ might _ have cried a little from embarrassment and disappointment the second he’d walked through his hotel door. 

There was another series of knocks, and finally Noctis grunted as he rose from the chair, murder on his back, and shuffled blearily to the door. Without thinking to look through the peephole to see who was bothering him at such a late hour, he flipped the latch lock and tugged open the door, blinking a few more times to get the image right in his head. Because Prompto was definitely not standing out in the hallway of his hotel. Noctis briefly glanced over to the clock on the bedside table. Prompto was definitely not standing out in the hallway of his hotel  _ at two-freaking-thirty am _ .

“Hey,” the definitely-not-Prompto chirped, sounding  _ far _ too awake for so early in the morning. 

Ever unable to graciously say or do anything right after waking up, Noctis grunted a greeting, still unsure if he was experiencing some kind of lucid dream or not.

The corners of Prompto’s mouth twitched, as if he were fighting a smile. “Sorry to bug you so late, but you left me way too much money, dude. I didn’t know how long you were in town, so I figured I’d return it after I got off shift.”

“Keep it.” Noctis brought up a hand to run through his hair and blinked, nodding. “How did you find where I was staying?” His voice was faint and croaked with disuse.

Prompto’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly looked away, studying something interesting at the far end of the hall. “I- I saw what direction you went on the street then asked the hotels closest to the airport in that direction if they had any Noctis Lucis Caelum’s staying with them. I’m not trying to follow you or anything, just called around. You left me too much money, you know.” He bit his lip, risking a shy peek up at Noctis through his lashes. “Did I already say that? Anyway, I’m really sorry to bother you.” He dug around in a satchel hanging at his side, hands looking eager for something to do. “I’ll uh, just give the money back to you and get out of your hair.”

Noctis had always thought it was cute when he did stuff like that- flushed so hard his freckles disappeared, his nervous fidgeting,  and cutting his eyes away to avoid seeing Noctis’ reaction only to become brave and peek back at him every so often. And maybe it was a result of his still sleepy brain and his desire to get back what he had once upon a time that spurred him to make such stupid decisions. Noctis reached out, like he’d done a thousand times before, back in another life. Without thinking he brushed the backs of his knuckles over the curve of Prompto’s neck.

The gesture was meant to be reassuring, but Prompto froze. Noctis snatched his hand away. 

“Sorry,” He rumbled, voice still rough with sleep.

Prompto stood very still in front of him, staring at him with an unreadable expression that began to make Noctis’ heart pound. What he’d done was stupid. Had he made him angry?

“What are you doing back in town, Noct?” Prompto asked, tone soft and searching.

“The reunion,” he replied lamely. “I was- Well, I was hoping to see you there.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” Noctis ran his hand through his hair again, breathing out a sigh. “It’s a really long story.”

Prompto shifted uneasily on his feet. “It’s been  _ years _ .”

“Yeah,” he spoke again, “too long.” Sleep messed with his filter again, and he couldn’t help himself from adding, “was missing you the whole time.”

Prompto looked away again from where he was studying Noctis’ face. “So, your long story … “

“Hm?”

“Wanna tell it to me over a beer tomorrow? Was gonna go to the reunion too, for a few minutes, but I uh. I’d rather hear what you’ve been up to.” Prompto’s eyes swiveled forward again, meeting Noctis’ gaze with a penetrative, searching quality. For all of his awkwardness, Prompto always had a way of getting straight to the heart of a matter, completely unintentionally, and in that moment he seemed like he was peering right into Noctis’ soul - to his deepest desires. 

“Yeah,” Noctis repeated himself for the hundredth time, allowing his gaze to roam over Prompto’s features up close. He was still so beautiful and wore that open expression like a mantel. There was a wisdom in his features though, something Noctis thought to attribute to time and assholes like him. Maybe it was unfair to assume he’d had such a big impact on Prompto’s life. “I’d like that.”

When Prompto smiled, it was like he lit up the space around him, and all of Noctis' worry from before seemed to just sort of fade away. “Alright. Call me tomorrow when you’re free. It’s my day off, so I’ll be available.” 

Noctis’ gaze shifted from Prompto’s expressive eyes to his hands, moving again inside of his bag as he pulled out several large bills and a business card. 

“Here,” Prompto hummed, slipping the card on top of the cash before pressing the bundle to the center of Noctis’ chest. “Your money, and a current number.”

Noctis’ hand rose to take it, but managed to slip his hand over Prompto’s when the man didn’t pull away. “Thanks.”

“Sure,” Prompto replied, tongue darting out to worry his lower lip, his voice a little rough. 

Noctis squeezed his hand in a light grip, feeling the weight of Prompto’s gaze pull him forward. He was leaning in. What he was planning to do exactly, he didn’t really know until Prompto’s chin was tilting up, almost expectantly. It was strange - how natural something like this felt after so long. Noctis had barely brushed their lips together before Prompto was quietly pulling away, clearing his throat and wearing another shy smile. 

“See you tomorrow?” he asked, sounding a little out of breath.

“Definitely. You can count on it.”


	3. On what wings dare he aspire?  What the hand, dare seize the fire?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis and Prompto reconnect, and it feels like no time has passed at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, friends! Getting my teaching life back together for the school year has been a little intense. I hope you all are doing well, and welcome back to school if you're in it! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and, as always, comments, kudos, and your lovely faces are appreciated.

“I wanted to apologize about last night,” Noctis quickly admitted as he and Prompto slid into a booth at one of their old haunts.

The ramen shop was older than the both of them combined, and it was run by a scary old woman who used to threaten Noctis and Prompto within an inch of their lives if she ever caught them “skipping class in her establishment even if they were paying customers.” The food was always good, and it was a quiet place they used to hide out in when neither of them felt like going home for one reason or another. 

Prompto cocked his head over the rim of the menu. “What for?”

Noctis felt the heat in his cheeks as he answered. “Kissing you. Felt like I was taking advantage.”

“You weren’t,” Prompto was quick to correct him. “If anything, I was taking advantage of you. I know how you get when you’re tired.” He flushed. “Well, how you got when we were together.”

“I haven’t changed much,” Noctis chuckled, but it was a depreciating sound that made Prompto furrow his brows and peer at him harder. With nothing else to occupy his hands, Noctis began picking at the corner of his menu. It was clear that neither of them had any clue of how they were supposed to act in that moment. They hadn’t seen or spoken to one another in years, and yet there was something between them Noctis was sure he wasn’t alone in feeling. The atmosphere was tense, but not uncomfortably so, and yet the feeling still robbed Noctis of anything particularly useful to say that didn’t also make him sound like a desperate idiot who had traveled half the world to get his best friend back - and maybe something more.

He was, obviously, but he was going to deny it.

Prompto was still watching him, only sparing his menu a glance. “You seem pretty different to me.” His eyes crinkled at the corners with his smile. “That beard, for one.”

Noctis snorted. “What, you don’t like my rugged good looks?”

“I’m not sure what to think about it, dude. Kind of makes you look like a hobo.”

Pretending like he was offended, Noctis dipped a finger into his water glass and flicked a few droplets in Prompto’s direction and watched as he held up the menu to ward off the assault. “Least I can grow one. Besides, Luna never complained.”

Prompto leaned forward on his elbows, placing his menu aside as he supported his chin with the palm of his hand. “Luna, huh?”

Noctis blinked, taken aback for a moment. He’d forgotten that Prompto didn’t know  _ anything _ about his life in Tenebrae. Being here, with him, it felt so natural - like there had been no gap of contact in their friendship at all.

He cleared his throat, nodding. “My ex-wife. We’re still friends. It just … didn’t work out, I guess.”

Eyes wide, Prompto sat up straighter in his seat. “Woah, you got married?”

“Hard to believe, huh?” Noctis replied with a more confident smile when no judgement was forthcoming. “Want me to blow your mind more?”

Prompto nodded, expression shifting between something that looked, at least to Noctis, a little wistful. “Lay it on me.”

“I have a son too. His name’s Darin.” Distractedly, Noctis pulled up an image of him on his phone, a recent one sent to him before he had gotten on the plane to Insomnia. Both Luna and Darin were pressed cheek to cheek to fit into the frame, smiling while Luna held up Darin’s chubby arm for a wave. He handed his phone over to Prompto, whose curious expression immediately dissolved into a smile and a laugh. 

“No way! Dude, your kid is adorable.” Prompto’s eyes gleamed as he glanced up from the phone to meet Noctis’ gaze. “Doesn’t look a thing like you, though.”

“Yeah, thankfully he got his mom’s good looks.”

Before they could continue, a waitress wandered over to take their order. Noctis already knew what he was going to get, the same thing he always had. It was the only dish in the restaurant that didn’t have bean sprouts in it, or carrots, or chives, or visible pieces of onion, or  _ lettuce _ .

Whoever decided eating leaves for sustenance was a good idea was also definitely some kind of masochist.

When she was gone, Prompto passed Noctis’ phone back and resumed his earlier, expectant pose. “So what else have you gotten up to? You finished school, I’m guessing?”

Noctis nodded, thumbing the dark screen of his phone to avoid looking up at Prompto. School. School was what had really put Noctis in a bind after he’d moved out of the country. He’d been so pressured to perform on top of working with his father and missing Prompto that he’d finally just sort of _ snapped _ . 

He wasn’t really sure what to call it - what had happened to him to cause his meltdown. It might have been some kind of anxiety, but he wasn’t any sort of medical professional. All he knew was that, around midterms in his first year, he just wanted to shut himself away in his apartment and never speak to anyone ever again. For some reason, that had also included his best friend. Hastily, he’d drummed out that damning text message that had changed the course of his life when youthful stubbornness and fear had kept him from apologizing to Prompto properly. 

He still felt so much guilt over that, and though it seemed Prompto wasn’t going to rehash events that were ten years into their past, Noctis  _ needed _ to set things straight.

“Finished school. Passed everything by the skin of my teeth, but I got through it. Sometimes I still wonder how.”

“Yeah? You were always so naturally smart, Noct. You picked up on things so much faster than anyone else.”

Noctis’ smile was quiet. He enjoyed the praise, even if it was a little untrue. “The classes I took were different than anything else I’ve been through. It was all new content and I had to work for a decent grade for the first time in my life. Wasn’t prepared for any of that.” He trailed off then, remembering the panic he’d felt at the first “C” grade he’d ever received in his life. Noctis was a slacker, that much was true, but he’d always taken pride in his ability to do well in school with minimal effort. As it had turned out, much to his younger self’s surprise, a person couldn’t get by on dumb luck and brownie points in the real world. That realization had forced him to face reality, that he would need to put some real effort into his education or risk losing his father’s esteem. If that happened, if he had failed, then leaving Prompto behind in Insomnia would also have been for nothing, and Noctis was determined to please everyone in his life - to make them all proud of him.

“Sensing there’s more to that statement than you’re letting on.”

Noctis looked up at Prompto with a sheepish smile. “I was overwhelmed for the first few semesters, and I suppose I should apologize for that, too.”

Prompto cocked his head again, the curious tilt angling his blue eyes in a way that had Noctis heart leaping into his throat. “What for?”

Trust Prompto to forget a slight - or maybe Noctis just needed to spell it out and stop being so cryptic. He slid his glass between his hands, peering into it to work up his nerve to meeting Prompto’s gaze again. When he looked up, he said, “Basically everything that happened between us during that time. They way I handled the pressure, and the way I treated you - like a burden. You didn’t deserve what I did to you, Prom, and at the time I was too wrapped up in myself to really think about how much of an ass I was.”

“Hey.”

There was a brush of fingertips against his hand worrying his glass, which was when Noctis realized that Prompto had reached out across the table to try and comfort him. The touch was reassuring, somehow, despite its fleeting presence.

Tentatively, Noctis looked up again, finding only an earnestness in Prompto’s gaze that he so, so admired. 

“It’s been a really,  _ really _ long time, Noct.” Prompto smiled. “I appreciate the apology. It’s all water under the bridge now, as far as I’m concerned, you know? We were young and half-way across the world from one another.”

“Yeah,” Noctis replied. “But-”

“It’s okay.” Prompto hummed, propping his chin up on his hands as he regarded Noctis from across the table. “That’s not what I wanted either, but …” He shrugged. “Sometimes life just happens, right?”

Noctis breathed a quiet sigh, both surprised and a little pleased that Prompto seemed so, well, past what had happened. Obviously he himself wasn’t, not at all, but he had also worried it over and over in his head since the very moment he realized it had been a mistake to cut Prompto out of his life. 

It wasn’t as if he was thinking about Prompto constantly. He had moved on and made a family for himself, after all. But it was in the quiet moments, when he was a little lonely and reflecting on the course of his life, that he thought often of the friend, and lover, he’d left behind. 

“Right,” Noctis finally replied, feeling a bit more confident as he regarded his friend. “So, what has the past ten years been like for you?”

“Can’t complain,” Prompto cheerfully grinned. “I told you about school and things. Decided to pursue my photography hobby a little more and I’ve made a few regular clients for things like food blogs and advertising and business is picking up.” Prompto continued speaking even after their food was delivered and Noctis began fishing the garnish of green onion out of his bowl. “I work at the bar part time to cover for utilities and food and stuff, but otherwise I’m starting to be able to support myself doing what I love.”

Noctis beamed. “That’s amazing.”

Prompto ducked his head, a small smile playing on his lips. “I never thought I would get here, so living it is awesome.” He chuckled. “Though I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs.” 

A shadow passed over Prompto’s features as he spoke, the pall fleeting but evident. If Noctis hadn’t been fixated on his friend’s expression, he might have missed it.

“If you want to talk,” Noctis urged, “then I’ll listen.”

There was a tentative, grateful smile in reply. “It’s nothing major. Just-. Well, I recently broke up with someone, so still dealing with that, you know?”

Noctis nodded, because he  _ did  _ know, absolutely. “Rough breakup?”

“Yeah, and it was the first time I’ve ended things with someone so,” he chuckled a little, “I probably messed it up somehow.”

“It’s hard to know what to do,” Noctis hummed thoughtfully. “I’m sure you didn’t do anything terrible - like texting to let him know.” 

Noctis mumbled that last bit, a little sliver of guilt digging into his conscience though it quickly faded with a muffled giggle from across the table.

“Unlike  _ someone _ we know?” Prompto teased, eyes alight with nothing but humor and affection.

The expression relaxed Noctis, so much so that he found himself releasing his hold on a decade’s old worry. “Yeah, well, we both know I was never the greatest planner. Zero foresight, I remember you saying once or twice.” He bought into the lightness of the mood with that statement - told himself he wasn’t going to allow himself to slip into any dark places along the way that might compromise the buoyant feeling in his chest. 

Prompto barked a laugh. “Well you said it, not me!”

“I’ve really missed you, Prom,” Noctis admitted in a quiet rumble. “I don’t think I’ve stopped wanting you back since I let you go.”

Prompto’s blush reached the very tips of his ears. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s probably stupid of me to say, after all this time, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think it’s stupid at all,” Prompto murmured, “cause I haven’t stopped loving you, either.”

Noctis huffed a laugh, fighting back the tears of relief that threatened to fall at that admission. It was stupid luck - stupid, stupid luck. “Does that make us kind of pathetic?”

“If it does,” Prompto replied, “then at least we’re together.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, finishing off their respective meals. There were a few moments when Noctis would look up and find Prompto watching him with that same fond expression - one that would never fail to make Noctis’ heart thump against his ribs. It would make his cheeks flush with embarrassment and pleasure, and when he worked himself up to stare back for a time, he could see Prompto was in a similar state. It was an assumption of course, and he probably shouldn’t be doing anything like that, considering the tenuous position in which he found himself since they had been reunited, but Prompto had yet to give him any indication that either he, or his subtle flirtations, were unwanted.

And there was the kiss last night. A kiss Prompto had said wasn’t any sort of violation of his autonomy - that he had, in a way, welcomed it. Reflecting on it made Noctis bold. He chewed on the end of one of his chopsticks, considering, before he stretched out his leg beneath the table and hooked his ankle around Prompto’s. It didn’t matter that he was thirty and far too old to be playing footsies in the middle of a restaurant with a friend he’d only just reconnected with. In the face of the closeness he felt, he’d pay the small price of feeling juvenile about it. Besides, when Prompto tugged Noctis’ foot a little closer and  _ smiled _ at him… 

Hell, he looked good to Noctis, and they were close and grinning stupidly at one another and Noctis really wanted to lean over the table and pull his friend into a kiss.

“Hey, Noct?” 

Noctis refocused his attention back to his friend’s eyes from where they had settled on his lips. “Hmm?”

Prompto was leaned forward onto his elbows, food neglected as he pillowed his chin on his palms. He was staring at Noctis from beneath his lashes, a certain kind of heat to his gaze that Noctis hadn’t seen in years but remembered with crystal clarity. That  _ look _ shot straight down his spine and settled between his thighs. This wasn’t good, was it? He was supposed to be reconnecting with a friend, not thinking about the way one look made him want to shove his tongue down Prompto’s throat.

“This might be a little much, all things considered, and where we are,” Prompto began tentatively. “But uh, you want to come back to my place? That’s not a weird question to ask, right? It’s just…” He sucked his lower lip in between his teeth and looked away for a minute. “You-”

Noctis’s heart felt like it was going to hammer right out of his chest. Before he could think on a more appropriate reply, or the wisdom of what he was doing, Noctis leaned forward to take one of Prompto’s hand in his. He drew it to his mouth, brushing the backs of Prompto’s knuckles with his lips, all the while holding his friend’s gaze. “Yes,” he murmured, breath brushing hot over his thumb and Prompto’s wrist, “I’ll go with you.”

There was a nervous waver to his friend’s laugh this time. “It’s kind of strange, right? That I’d feel so comfortable with you after all this time - after how things ended?”

Noctis nodded, turning Prompto’s hand over to kiss the inside of his wrist. “You mean it feels like no time has passed at all?”

Noctis could feel the shiver race up Prompto’s arm from where he had laid his lips, watching his friend’s cheeks redden. 

“Y-yeah,” he practically whimpered. “Hell, Noct, can we pay and go? I’ve wanted to have my mouth on you since last night.”

**Author's Note:**

> I made a [tumblr](https://rororo-yourboat.tumblr.com/) for all of my nonsense. I'm new to this please be kind to my peasanty ass. Seriously, I have like two posts.  
> [Chill XV writer's discord](https://discord.gg/DGMJfzJ) (everyone is welcome)!


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